REVIEW: “Progress, Incorporated,” by S. Thomas Drake

Review of S. Thomas Drake, “Progress, Incorporated,” Radon Journal 9 (2025): 48-54. — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

This was an eerie, creepy story. It starts off with a premise that is well-suited for futuristic SF: Progress, Inc., provides sleeping pods for marginalized people who wish to take some time out until the world has progressed enough to accept them for who they are.

Spoilers below:

Then we find out that the story is set in 2030.

Then we find out that Progress, Inc., asks for people to sign away their voting rights for while they are in the pods. And at this point, I had just about as many misgivings about the whole endeavor as Simon, the MC, had.

This is only the start of things, and let’s just say: They don’t end any better!

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REVIEW: “Canis” by Wugee Kelly

Review of Wugee Kelly, “Canis,” Radon Journal 9 (2025): 37-49. — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

While at 12 pages this story is longer than many in Radon Journal, it still felt like it took an especially long time to get going. At no point did we actually meet any humans (at least, not living!) — the only creatures we encounter are a menagerie of animals, and then the robot who becomes the central focus of the story. But no matter how much you anthropomorphise a robot, it’s still not a person; and without a character to latch on to, I found this a difficult story to get invested in.

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REVIEW: “The Cerebral Pitch Experiment” by MD Harrold

Review of MD Harrold, “The Cerebral Pitch Experiment” Radon Journal 9 (2025): 7-11. — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

This is the sort of SF yarn that doesn’t care very much about reality — it is built out of tropes and stereotypes (scientists go straight to grad school out of high school, don’t require any post-docs before getting jobs, always wear lab coats and work in labs) and pretty much from the start you have an idea of where it is going, what kind of story it is. But I use the word “yarn” precisely because it is that: Even though it is trope-y and full of stereotypes, it was a good fun read!

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REVIEW: “The Ten Declarations of Bozo, Supreme Jongleur of Planet Clown” by Dafydd McKimm

Review of Dafydd McKimm, “The Ten Declarations of Bozo, Supreme Jongleur of Planet Clown” Radon Journal 9 (2025): 1-5. — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

In 5 short pages, McKimm takes us from the enforced off-world immigration of a persecuted people through populism all the way to straight up fascism. Every step seems natural and appropriate and right, which is part of what makes the story all the more terrifying.

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REVIEW: “Lacus Odii (Lake of Hate)” by Josh Pearce

Review of Josh Pearce, “Lacus Odii (Lake of Hate)” Radon Journal 9 (2025): 66-67 — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

Well, this is quite a prescient poem! I had to go back and check just exactly when in 2025 this issue of Radon Journal came out — and the answer is, two days after the US presidential inauguration. Who knows whether Pearce had insider knowledge of what was to come, or is just very good at predicting the future, the first stanza of this poem cuts awfully close to home, a month on from the inauguration. Want to be thoroughly depressed? Read this poem.

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REVIEW: “Ghost in the Shell” by Holly Lyn Walrath

Review of Holly Lyn Walrath, “Ghosts in the Shell,” Radon Journal 9 (2025): 70 — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

This was the itty-bittiest of little flash fic stories — but Walrath nevertheless manages to pack quite a bit into that one single solid paragraph of text. It’s all introspection and yet it manages to convey a rich breadth of history and scene-setting, capped off with a satisfying ending. I love seeing a well-crafted piece of fiction like this!

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